Insect Identification

*** Note: KnowYourInsects.org does its best to include correct identifications of insect photos. It’s always possible that we made a mistake, however, so if you see a misidentification, please contact us and we will correct it. Thanks!

Adult Moths of Order Lepidoptera — Examples
For adult butterflies, click here.
For moth/butterfly caterpillars and pupae, click here.

Now on THREE pages

Families represented — Page 3 (current page):

Page 1:

Page 2:

Adelidae, the fairy longhorn moths

Yellow-Barred Longhorn moth (Nemophora degeerella)

Yellow-barred longhorn, Nemophora degeerella, subfamily Adelinae, family Adelidae.
□ A diurnal species, the yellow-barred longhorn has very long “horns,” which refer to the antennae. It also has a large yellowish or cream-colored bar across each wing. This individual has dark-brown striping on its wings, but many specimens have blue-black markings instead.
Photographed by: Bryan Wenham-Baker. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Ivybridge, South Hams, South Devon, UK. Date: 1 August, 2018.

Green longhorn, female, Adela reaumurella, subfamily Adelinae, family Adelidae.
□ This green longhorn moth, just 1 cm (0.4 inches) long, has green-bronze forewings that look almost like shimmering silk. The hindwings (hidden in this photo) are glistening purple. The female, shown here, has long antennae, but not as long as the male’s antennae: His antennae are at least three times the length of his body.
Photographed and identified by: Vicki Cottrell. Location: Warrington, Cheshire, UK. Date: 29 April, 2020.
Vicki says, “It was on a Philadelphus plant!” Philadelphus plants are sometimes called mock orange, because its flowers look like those seen on an orange tree.”

Attevidae, the tropical ermine moths

Ailanthus Webworm Moth (<i>Atteva aurea</i>)

Ailanthus webworm moth, Atteva aurea, subfamily Attevinae, family Attevidae.
□ The left photo gives an excellent view of the scales on this ailanthus webworm moth. As shown, we can see each scale as a different color, and the scales’ placement on the body forms a pattern, similar to the way tiles can create a colorful mosaic on a countertop. Moth scales may either have an unchanging color (usually seen among the black or brown scales) or may have a tiny ridges and valleys that reflect color based on the light. For instance, a structured scale may reflect blue under light from one angle, and green or purple from another.
Photographed and identified by: Hannah Byers. Nicely done, Hannah! Location: Durham, North Carolina, USA. Date: 3 November, 2024.
Hannah says, “I just found your site through Google Snap and was excited to see what insect this was.”

The adult ailanthus webworm moth exhibits aposematic coloration — bold colors — that ward off potential predators. Why do predators stay away? The moth’s caterpillars feed on a plant called Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima), and harbor bad-tasting chemicals from those plants within their bodies even into adulthood.

Ailanthus webworm moth, Atteva aurea, subfamily Attevinae, family Attevidae.
□ With that bright coloration and cool pattern, the ailanthus webworm moth is a stunning moth!
Photographed by: Sandra Piechowiak. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Saginaw, Michigan, USA. Date: 9 September, 2015.

Ailanthus webworm moth, Atteva aurea, subfamily Attevinae, family Attevidae.
□ The caterpillars of ailanthus webworm moths live within sparse webbing between the leaves of tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima). The webbing draws the leaves together to provide a hovel for the caterpillars to grow.
Photographed by: Elizabeth Boyle. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: West Milford, New Jersey, USA. Date: 22 August, 2017.
Elizabeth saw this “hanging out on my house.”

Ailanthus webworm moth, Atteva aurea, subfamily Attevinae, family Attevidae.
□ These photos offer different views of the ailanthus webworm moth. In flight, its hindwings are visible. The hindwings are off-white with a brown border — quite a contrast to the colorful forewings.
Photographed by: Carlo Castoro. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Penn Hills, Pennsylvania, USA. Date: 14 August, 2017.

Ailanthus webworm moth, Atteva aurea, subfamily Attevinae, family Attevidae.
□ The caterpillars of the ailanthus webworm moth feed on some native plants in North America, but also on a non-native and invasive one: Tree of Heaven, Ailanthus altissima. For this reason, they are considered beneficial insects. To learn more about Tree of Heaven, click here (The Nature Conservancy).
Photographed by: HMR. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Ruckersville, Virginia, USA. Date: 25 August, 2016.

□ Would you like a list of all the butterfly/moth families in one handy place? We made one for you! To see it, click here.

Ailanthus webworm moth, Atteva aurea, subfamily Attevinae, family Attevidae.
□ The ailanthus webworm moth is active during the day. It holds its forewings curved around its abdomen, which gives a tube-shaped appearance.
Photographed by: Jacky Weiland. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Princeton, West Virginia, USA. Date: 31 August, 2017.
Jackie says, “I took the pic at dusk.”

Ailanthus webworm moth, Atteva aurea, subfamily Attevinae, family Attevidae.
□ The photographer provides the best description of the ailanthus webworm moth ever: “It looks like one of Marcia Brady’s dresses, or a part of a 1960s couch that got up and walked away.”
Photographed and identified by: Kyle A. Lengerich. Location: Greenwood, Indiana, USA. Date: 17 July, 2018.
Kyle says, “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Tineidae, the fungus moths or tineid moths

Clothes moths, mating pair, in the genus Tinea, subfamily Tineinae, family Tineidae.
□ Clothes moths have a feathered appearance at the end of their wings, and considerable hairs around the head. Both the feathers and hairs are actually modified setae, which is theinsect’s body covering (scales are also modified setae). The two moths are approximately 8mm and 6mm long (0.3 and 0.2 inches, respectively).
□ They get their common name of clothes moth from the caterpillars, which eat natural fibers containing the protein keratin.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. See his full-size photo of these moths here. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: city of San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 16 July, 2022.
Thomas says the two moths continued in this mating posture for about an hour.

Erechthias simulans (no specific common name), subfamily Erechthiinae, family Tineidae.
□ Erechthias simulans is small with a wingspan just a little more than a half-inch (about 1.4 cm). Beneath the black-and-white forewings are a pair of feathery, gray hindwings. This is an introduced species to Hawaii, where this photo was taken, and is becoming rather numerous.
Photographed by: Christian Moratin. Identified by: Daniel Rubinoff, University of Hawaii Manoa. Thank you Dr. Rubinoff! Location: Kapolei, Oahu, Hawaii. Date: 12 April, 2018.

Yellow V moth, Oinophila v-flavum, family Tineidae.
□ The yellow V moth has a light-colored “V” running across the middle of each forewing. The photographer said it was 5 mm (0.2 inches) long.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. See his full-size photos of this moth here, here, and here. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: city of San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 12 September, 2020.
Thomas noticed the “long scales at the end of the wings, tuft of scales on the top of the head, (and) labial palps.”

Phaeoses leucodeta (no specific common name), subfamily Hieroxestinae, family Tineidae.
□ Phaeoses leucodeta has grayish-brown forewings, each divided by a white band. The hindwings are pale tan with long feathery setae/hairs on the edges. To see the hindwings, click here (BoldSystems Taxonomy Browser).
Photographed and identified by: Eric Blehaut. Well done, Eric! Location: Bang Krang, Nonthaburi, Thailand. Date: 3 April, 2024.

Moths often look hairy, but their “hairs” are really long and thin versions of setae, which is their body covering. Other setae look different: some may be flattened into colorful body and wing scales, and some may be short and stout bristles.

Psychidae, the bagworm, clothes and tubeworm moths

A bagworm moth (no specific common name) in the genus Cryptothelea, either Cryptothelea gloverii or Cryptothelea nigrita, subfamily Psychinae, family Psychidae.
□ This little bagworm moth has a wingspan of only about 0.5-0.75 inches (1.4-1.8 cm), but its comb-like antennae are quite large.
Photographed by: Marv Goldberg. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: near Tamarac, Florida, USA. Date: 30 January, 2021.

The caterpillar of the moths in this family (Psychidae) spins silk around different kinds of debris to make a bag, and lives inside that bag. To see a caterpillar in its bag, click here (KnowYourInsects.org caterpillar/pupa page).

Crambidae, the crambid snout moths, or grass moths

Pyrausta grotei (no specific common name), subfamily Pyraustinae, family Crambidae.
□ The genus Pyrausta includes more than 300 species. This appears to be Pyrausta grotei (no specific common name), which has a triangular-shaped marking on each of its otherwise reddish forewings, as well as a irregular white zigzag wing bar toward the abdomen (both visible in this photo). See the photographer’s comment below.
Photographed and identified as a crambid moth by: Bill Flor. Nice job of identification, Bill! Identified to genus by: KnowYourInsects.org.
Location: Los Alamos County (7,500 ft. elevation), New Mexico, USA. Date: 12 August, 2017.
Bill says, “It’s only 7 or 8 mm in length (nose to wingtips), but the color was striking even at that size, with the wing bars and the almost ‘shiny’ red in the wings easly visible.”

Volupial pyrausta moth, Pyrausta volupialis, subfamily Pyraustinae, family Crambidae.
□ The color of this species varies considerably from pale brown to medium reddish brown (as seen here) to a deep pink/purple color. Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. Identified by: BugGuide.net. See Thomas’s full-size image here. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 28 August, 2016.

Volupial pyrausta moth, Pyrausta volupialis, subfamily Pyraustinae, family Crambidae.
□ This volupial pyrausta moth is a vivid reddish-purple color that really shows off the white lines and spot on each forewing.
Photographed and identified by: Thomas Langhans. See Thomas’s full-size images here and here. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 20 September, 2019.

Volupial pyrausta moth, Pyrausta volupialis, subfamily Pyraustinae, family Crambidae.
□ Despite the pale color of this volupial pyrausta moth, each forewing still shows the characteristic swooped white line, the zigzag white line, and the white spot between the two lines.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. Identified by: entomologist Christopher C. Grinter, California Academy of Sciences. Thank you, Dr. Grinter! See Thomas’s full-size image here. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 4 September, 2017.

Southern purple mint moth, Pyrausta laticlavia, subfamily Pyraustinae, family Crambidae.
□ This southern purple mint moth is pretty in purplish-pink and yellow. Some individuals in this species have more of a purplish-pink color and others are more brown. Its caterpillars eat rosemary, and possibly a variety of mint plants, too.
Photographed and identified as a moth by: April Mills. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: La Mesa, California. Date: 25 June, 2018.
April found this beauty in her backyard. She says, “We do have an abundance of rosemary growing in our garden also. This is the first time I have seen a southern purple mint moth. I recall there was a chrysalis attached to base of our table, and this is the exact place I saw the moth for the photo.”

Common Purple and Gold (Pyrausta laticlavia)

Common purple and gold, Pyrausta purpuralis, subfamily Pyraustinae, family Crambidae.
□ This photo of a common purple and gold shows the reddish-purple of the forewings, and the darker hindwings.
Photographed by: Diana. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Riga, Latvia. Date: 19 July, 2021.
Diana says, “I find that, in Latvia, there are a lot of interesting bugs!”

California pyrausta moth, Pyrausta californicalis, subfamily Pyraustinae, family Crambidae.
□ The California pyrausta moth is found along the West Coast of the United States and into far southerwestern Canada.
Photographed and identified to genus by: Jim Weill. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Contra Costa County, San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA. Date: 3 October, 2020.
Jim says he sees these moths mostly in the late afternoon/early evenings.

California pyrausta moth, Pyrausta californicalis, subfamily Pyraustinae, family Pyraustidae.
□ This photo prominently displays a characteristic feature of the California pyrausta moth: the large orange-yellow spot on each hindwing. The moth itself is quite small, with a wingspan of about 1.5 cm (0.6 inches)
□ It is perched on a rosemary shrub.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. See Thomas’s full-size photos here and here. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 3 April, 2022.
Thomas says, “I really like this one.”

California pyrausta moth, Pyrausta californicalis, subfamily Pyraustinae, family Pyraustidae.
□ This California pyrausta moth is striking a typical pose with its abdomen curled upward.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. See Thomas’s full-size photos here and here. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 3 April, 2022.

Orange mint moth, Pyrausta orphisalis, subfamily Pyraustinae, family Crambidae.
□ This orange mint moth is on a flower known as a star of Persia allium (Allium christophii). Several species in this genus of moths (Pyrausta) will frequent plants in the genus Allium, including the orange mint moth, which has a broad yellow band on the hindwings (as is just visible in this photo).
Photographed by: Patricia Myler. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: West Lincoln, Ontario, Canada. Date: 10 June, 2022.
Patricia says this moth was a visitor in her garden.

Weedfield sable, Pyrausta subsequalis, subfamily Pyraustinae, family Crambidae.
□ The weedfield sable is a small moth; the wingspan is less than 3/4 inches (1.4-1.8 cm), according to Bugguide.net. This moth has a considerable amount of variation in the forewings, and sometimes the markings are very faded, so the view of the characteristically banded hindwings is very helpful in the identification.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. See Thomas’s full-size images here and here. Location: Millbrae, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 19 September, 2023.
Thomas says, “Saw this on a walk today, and got some quick and dirty iPhone images.”

Genista broom moth, Uresiphita reversalis, subfamily Pyraustinae, family Crambidae.
□ The genista broom moth has lovely yellow hindwings, but they are only momentarily visible when it is in flight. See the photographer’s description below.
Photographed and identified by: Robert E. Carpenter. Nicely done, Robert! See Robert’s slow-motion nature video here. Location: High Island, Texas. Date: 12 June, 2023.
Robert says, “My video camera was shooting 30 frames per second, and totally missed the open-wing moment. It was simply present in one frame, and gone in the next. It is interesting that it found a fallen leaf to land on that is the exact color as its hindwing.”

Isocentris filalis (no specific common name), subfamily Pyraustinae, family Crambidae.
□ Isocentris filalis is yellow with a wide purple border on its wings, along with a purple blotch in the center of each forewing and a fringe of white. It looks quite similar to the species Hyalobathra phoenicozona (also no specific common name), but the latter lacks the purple blotch and the wing edges are purple rather than white. To see Hyalobathra phoenicozona, click here (Moths of India website).
Photographed and identified to subfamily by: Pratima Bisen. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh, India. Date: 2 August, 2021.

Golden pearl, Anania verbascalis, subfamily Pyraustinae, family Crambidae.
□ The golden pearl often has a bronze tint, combined with looping, zigzag bands of gray, brown or purple. The overall coloration may be quite rich or a bit on the paler side.
Photographed and identified by: Jean-Louis Metzger. Nicely done, Jean-Louis!
Location: Oxford, UK. Date: 12 July, 2020.

Golden pearl, Anania verbascalis, subfamily Pyraustinae, family Crambidae.
□ The golden pearl is similar to the dusky pearl (Udea prunalis). Both are found in England, where this golden pearl was photographed. One way to tell them apart is that the golden pearl has a continuous wavy line toward the rear of the forewing, while the dusky pearl has a row of dots instead. To see the dusky pearl, click here (UKMoths.org).
Photographed and identified to family by: Jean-Louis Metzger. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Oxford, England, UK. Date: 24 July, 2019.

White-spotted sable, Anania funebris, subfamily Pyraustinae, family Crambidae.
□ Each forewing of the white-spotted sable has two large white spots, plus one more tiny one; a striped abdomen; orange on either side of the thorax; and white legs (see photographer’s comment below).
□ Although not visible in this photo, its hindwings also each have two large white spots.
Photographed and identified as a moth by: Joan Lovell. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Green Mountain National Forest, Searsburg, Vermont, USA. Date: 13 June, 2022.
Joan says, “This guy has unfortunately crossed over the insect rainbow bridge, but caught my eye.”

False celery leaftier, Udea profundalis, subfamily Pyraustinae, family Crambidae.
□ The false celery leaftier gets its name from the habit of its caterpillar, which is a leaftier: It ties or rolls leaves into tubes using the silk it makes.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. See Thomas’s full-size images here and here. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 11 October, 2018.

False celery leaftier, Udea profundalis, subfamily Pyraustinae, family Crambidae.
□ The false celery leaftier looks quite similar to another related species called the celery leaftier (Udea rubigalis), but the false celery leaftier is a bit larger. In addition, the false celery leaftier is mainly found in the western United States (where this photo was taken), while the celery leaftier is found in the eastern U.S.
Photographed and identified by: Thomas Langhans. See Thomas’s full-size images here and here. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 13 November, 2018.

False celery leaftier, Udea profundalis, subfamily Pyraustinae, family Crambidae.
□ This close-up of a false celery leaftier gives a good view of the snout feature of this family.
Photographed and identified by: Thomas Langhans. See Thomas’s full-size image here.
Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 17 March, 2020.

The vast majority of caterpillars live on land, but some snout moth caterpillars (the family Crambidae) are aquatic! For a great description, click here (University of Wisconsin Field Station).

Zebra conchylodes moth, Conchylodes ovulalis, subfamily Spilomelinae, family Crambidae.
□ This zebra conchylodes moth is stunning with the black stripes on the pearled white background. The little brushes of yellow on the abdomen are an added bonus. Read about the photographer’s dogged determination in identifying it in her comment below.
Photographed and identified by: Gail E. Rowley, Ozark Stream Photography. Well done, Gail! Location: Texas County, Missouri, USA. Date: 2 June, 2016.
Gail says, “After reading and looking at 500+ moth species from various sites, I think I have the correct ID for this lovely little moth. I found it on our living room floor, quite alive, and gently returned it to the forest edge by our house.” Kudos, Gail!

Erythrina stem borer (Terastia meticulosalis)

Erythrina stem borer, sometimes called an erythrina twig borer, Terastia meticulosalis, subfamily Spilomelinae, family Crambidae.
□ The erythrina stem borer, often shortened to ESB, is quite new to California (since about 2015), where this photo was taken. It is a major pest of coral trees (in the genus Erythrina). One of the features of ESB is its knobby abdomen, which it holds curled upward. For more details about ESB, click here.
Photographed and identified as a moth by: Daphne Figueroa. Identified to species by: entomologist Michael Wall of the San Diego Natural History Museum. Thank you, Dr. Wall! Location: San Diego, California, USA. Date: 19 September, 2020.
Daphne says, “Several of our neighbors have coral trees.... I will try to let them know about this.”

Gracile palpita moth, Palpita gracialis, subfamily Spilomelinae, family Crambidae.
□ The gracile palpita moth has pearly white wings with a brown border on the leading edge of the forewings. Another feature of this moth is the set of four squares on the abdomen, although in some individuals, the rear pair may be quite faint.
Photographed and identified as a moth by: Robert E. Carpenter. See Robert’s cool slow-motion nature video here. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Texas, USA. Date: 16 July, 2014.

Four-spotted Palpita Moth, Palpita quadristigmalis

Four-spotted palpita moth, also known as a mother-of-pearl moth, Palpita quadristigmalis, subfamily Spilomelinae, family Crambidae.
□ The four-spotted palpita moth’s alternate name of mother-of-pearl moth is perfect for this lovely moth. Note the small black spots on its wings.
Photographed and identified by: Robert E. Carpenter. See Robert’s cool slow-motion nature video here. Location: Kerrville, Texas, USA. Date: 9 July, 2016.
Robert says, “Attracted to UV light at midnight” near Camp Meeting Creek.

Stained-glass moth, also known as an assembly moth, Samea ecclesialis, subfamily Spilomelinae, family Crambidae.
□ Both the common name of stained-glass moth and the species name of ecclesialis (for ecclesiastical or church-related) refer to its wings, which have brown and white patches like those seen in stained glass within churches.
Photographed by: Marv Goldberg. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: near Tamarac, Florida, USA. Date: 1 March, 2022.

Parotis marginata (no specific common name), subfamily Spilomelinae, family Crambidae.
□ This Parotis marginata is vivid green. A close look will reveal that the antennae, which are also a vivid green, are swept back over the wings.
□ The caterpillars of this moth can cause considerable damage to the seedlings of the blackboard tree (Alstonia scholaris), which grows in the tropics.
Photographed by: Shreeya Panda. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: North Odisha University, Ladies Hostel Campus, Mayurbhanj (District), Odisha, India. Date: 23 July, 2019.

Parotis marginata (no specific common name), male, subfamily Spilomelinae, family Crambidae.
□ Parotis marginata has black eyes that really pop against the brilliant green color of the body and wings. This male has a spray of setae/hairs, called hair-pencils, at the tip of his abdomen. He uses an inflatable organ called a coremata to evert the hair-pencils to disperse pheromones, the scent of which attract females for mating.
Photographed and identified by: Eric Bleheut. Great ID, Eric! Location: Cha Am, Phetchaburi, Thailand. Date: 2024.

European pepper moth, Duponchelia fovealis, subfamily Spilomelinae, family Crambidae.
□ Native to southern Europe and northern Africa, the European pepper moth is now found in northern Europe, the United States and Canada. It does damage to a wide variety of ornamental and food plants. Detailed information about this species is available here (University of Florida “Featured Creatures” website).
Photographed by: Julie Lines. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Mesa, Arizona, USA. Date: 3 April, 2022.
Julie noted this moth’s long body, which extends well beyond its wings.

Orange Spotted Flower Moth or Red-Waisted Florella Moth, Syngamia florella

Orange-spotted flower moth, also known as red-waisted florella moth, Syngamia florella, subfamily Spilomelinae, family Crambidae.
□ The orange-spotted flower moth is a tiny moth (see the photographer’s comments below). A daytime flier, it has a distinctive stripe down the center of the thorax, spots on its wings, and a lovely soft-orange abdomen.
Photographed and identified as moth by: Sheldon L. Boyd. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org.
Location: The Villages, Florida, USA. Date: 12 August, 2017.
Sheldon says, “This subject is tiny, tiny, really tiny. For size comparison, look at your little fingernail. I am amazed at the colors and details.”

Box tree moth, Cydalima perspectalis, subfamily Spilomelinae, family Crambidae.
□ The box tree moth has a small comma-shaped marking interrupting the wide brown border on each forewing. It is native to eastern Asia, reaching from Japan to India, but is now a pest in much of Europe. In 2008, it was first recorded in England, where this photo was taken. More information about this species is available by clicking here.
Photographed by: Ryan Gray. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: London, England, UK. Date: 21 August, 2018.

Trapeze moth, Marasmia trapezalis, subfamily Spilomelinae, family Crambidae.
□ The photographer saw a large number of these trapeze moths in a field (see her comment below). She may have witnessed a large emergence of these moths from their pupae.
□ The caterpillars are known as maize webworms, but they will feed on other grasses besides corn. This photo was taken in Africa, but they are also found in North and South America, and in Asia.
Photographed by: Sarah Park. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: northern Cameroon. Date: 2007.
Sarah says, “They are everywhere around where we are staying right now.... There are thousands of them in the grass, etc.”

Desmia Moth, Desmia deploralis or Desmia ploralis

Desmia moth, either Desmia deploralis or Desmia ploralis, subfamily Spilomelinae, family Crambidae.
□ Two similar species of desmia moth are Desmia deploralis or Desmia ploralis, which are both found in Florida, where this photo was taken. Both have a pair of white, rectangular spots on each forewing, and a wider white rectangular spot on each hindwing.
Photographed and identified as a moth by: Marv Goldberg. Identified to genus by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: near Tamarac, Florida, USA. Date: 7 September, 2021.

Lucerne moth, Nomophila nearctica, subfamily Spilomelinae, family Crambidae.
□ The lucerne moth, which is found in North and Central America, is the spitting image of the rush veneer (Nomophilia noctuella), which is found in Europe, Africa and parts of Asia. Both have a pattern of outlined brown spots on their wings. A few sources suggest that the two species sometimes show up in the opposite hemisphere, but most keep the two geographically separated.
Photographed and identified to genus by: Robert E. Carpenter. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. See Robert’s collection of butterflies of Texas here. Location: Streeter, Texas, USA. Date: 24 March, 2024.

Eggplant Leafroller, aka Nightshade Leaf Tier (Lineodes integra)

Eggplant leafroller, also known as a nightshade leaf tier, Lineodes integra, subfamily Spilomelinae, family Crambidae.
□ This is a typical pose for the eggplant leafroller, also known as a nightshade leaf tier.
Photographed by: Jenelllea Martin. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Overland Park, Kansas, USA. Date: 2 September, 2019.

Eggplant leafroller, also known as a nightshade leaf tier, Lineodes integra, subfamily Spilomelinae, family Crambidae.
□ The caterpillar of the eggplant leafroller spins silk, which it uses it to roll leaves into tube shapes. It favors leaves in the nightshade family (Solanaceae), including eggplant.
□ Click on the photo to see an enlarged version.
Photographed and identified as a moth by: Robert E. Carpenter. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. See Robert’s cool slow-motion nature video here. Location: Texas, USA. Date: 16 July, 2014.

Moths known as leaf-rollers and leaf-tiers have caterpillars that make their own homes. They use their silk to roll and tie leaves into tubes that serve as a nice protective spaces to grow.

Two-spotted herpetogramma, Herpetogramma bipunctalis, subfamily Spilomelinae, family Crambidae.
□ The two-spotted herpetogramma has two dark spots on each forewing, and two smaller ones on its abdomen. Thin, dark, squiggled lines also embellish the wings. The dark stripe at the leading edge of each forewing is noticeable in this photo, but not all individuals exhibit this feature clearly.
□ Individuals may be mostly white, yellowish (like this one), tan, or even rather brown.
Photographed and identified as a moth by: Robert E. Carpenter. See Robert’s slow-motion nature video here. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Texas, USA. Date: 16 July, 2014.

Zigzag Herpetogramma or Feather Moth, Herpetogramma thestealis

Zigzag herpetogramma, also known as feather moth, Herpetogramma thestealis, subfamily Spilomelinae, family Crambidae.
□ The attractive zigzag herpetogramma has an elongated white band in each wing, ad the stripe is divided by two small and black transverse bands. it also has a dark wing border.
Photographed and identified by: Kyle A. Lengerich. Location: Greenwood, Indiana, USA. Date: 2018.

Glyphodes actorionalis (no common name), subfamily Spilomelinae, family Crambidae.
□ The gayly patterned Glyphodes actorionalis has a wingspan of a little more than an inch (3 cm). The forewings each have one or two large, glistening, white spots, while the hind wings are mainly glimmering white with a wide brown border. When the wings are spread, as shown, the white of the hind wings appears as large triangles flanking the abdomen.
Photographed by: Amit Sheth. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Pune, Maharashtra, India. Date: 16 September, 2024.

Grass moth, tentatively identified as Scoparia pyralella, subfamily Scopariinae, family Crambidae.
□ The grass moth and other moths in this genus can be very difficult to distinguish from one another, and often require inspection with a microscope.
Photographed and identified by: Jean-Louis Metzger. Location: Headington, Oxford, England, UK. Date: 12 March, 2020.

Culladia hastiferalis (no specific common name), subfamily Crambinae, family Crambidae.
□ Culladia hastiferalis has two very hairy-looking labial palps that are sometimes mistaken for thick antennae right in front of its big, light-blue eyes. The antennae, however, are long and thin, and extend back from its eyes and are held over its back.
Photographed and identified by: Eric Blehaut. Excellent ID on this one, Eric! Location: Bang Krang, Thailand. Date: 2023.

Common grass-veneer, Crambus praefectellus, subfamily Crambinae, family Crambidae.
□ The oblong silvery-white on the side is a characteristic feature of the common grass-veneer. Note that the patch draws to a point fore and aft, and in some individuals the rear half of the patch has a very thin black outline (not visible in this photo). And what an amazing profile!
□ Its caterpillar goes by the name silver-striped webworm.
Photographed and identified by: Leslie Mertz. Location: Gaylord, Michigan, USA. Date: summer 2020.

Geography can help in identification. For instance, Fissicrambus intermedius (no specific common name) and the changeable grass-veneer (Fissicrambus mutabilis) look a lot alike, but the former is found in the western U.S., and the latter is found in the central and eastern U.S.

Changeable grass-veneer, Fissicrambus mutabilis, subfamily Crambinae, family Crambidae.
□ The changeable grass-veneer often sits rather like a dog in a play position, with its forelegs held forward, its head low (as seen here at the bottom of this photo) and its hind legs holding its abdomen up. The photographer said this individual was about 0.75 inches (around 2 cm) long.
Photographed by: Josette Dugue. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: southeastern Pennsylvania, USA. Date: 13 August, 2021.
Josette says, “I thought it was a rolled up leaf part or stick. When I touched it, it flew to the deck rail.”

Fissicrambus intermedius (no specific common name), subfamily Crambinae, family Crambidae.
□ Species in the genus Fissicrambus are extremely difficult to tell apart, but location and timing can help. This one was photographed in Arizona in October, so it is likely Fissicrambus intermedius (it has no common name).
□ This tiny moth is sitting with its abdomen propped up. It has its wings rolled over the abdomen, so the white edge fringe forms a nearly circular shape, as seen at the top of the photos. Its pair of thick antennae look almost like a short broom extending out from its head.
Photographed and identified to genus by: Katie Ferencik. Nicely done, Katie! Identified to tentative species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: northwestern Tucson, Arizona, USA. Date: 15 October, 2015.
Katie says, “Such a neat looking moth!”

Jalisco petrophila, Petrophila jaliscalis, subfamily Acentropinae, family Crambidae.
□ From the side and from the top, the Jalisco petrophila is a stunner with its complex blend of colors and patterns. While the hindwings of many moths are hidden beneath the forewings when at rest, this species reveals its delicately banded and spot-edged hindwing. Be sure to click on the photo to zoom in and get a better look at the top view.
□ This species and others in the genus Petrophila are unusual in that their caterpillars live underwater in little hovels they build for themselves by spinning silk. They attach the hovels to rocks. This is similar to the behavior of caddisflies.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. See Thomas’s full-size photos here and here. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 17 July, 2023.
Thomas says this moth was only about 10mm (0.4 inches) long.

Pyralidae, the pyralid moths

Bee moth, Aphomia sociella, subfamily Galleriinae, family Pyralidae.
□ Olive-colored eyes and wing patches highlight this pretty little bee moth. It is called a bee moth not because it has any resemblance to a bee, but instead because the females often lay their eggs in bee’s nests. According to Bugguide.net, bee moths were likely introduced to the United States from their native Europe when their eggs were unknowingly transported in European bee hives.
Photographed and identified by: Jean-Louis Metzger. Nice job of identification, Jean-Louis! Location: Oxford, England, UK. Date: 6 May, 2019.
Jean-Louis says, “Three pictures of a moth found in my hallway this morning. It stayed put while I attempted to take as many good pictures as possible (distance head to tip of the wings ~15 mm; width of the folded wings ~ 8 mm).” For American readers, 15 mm is about 0.6 inches, and 8 mm is about 0.3 inches.

Dusky raisin moth, Ephestiodes gilvescentella, subfamily Phycitinae, family Pyralidae.
□ These top and side views of a dusky raisin moth show its big eyes, a short tuft of setae/hair on its head (rather like a brush-cut hair style), a cream-colored zigzag band across the center of its forewings, a paler band farther back on the wings, and a row of faint dark spots on the wing edge.
□ Some individuals are much more gray than the lovely red and browns of this one.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. See Thomas’s full-size photos here and here. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 16 June, 2023.
Thomas says this “cute LBM” (little brown moth) was about 7 mm (about a quarter of an inch) in body length.

Locust bean moth, Ectomyelois ceratoniae, subfamily Phycitinae, family Pyralidae.
□ The locust bean moth has big eyes and gray-and-white wings, which can be seen in both the dorsal view (left) and the side view. The dorsal view shows a gray-bordered white band at the edge of its forewings, and the side view displays its rather snubbed face.
□ Found in agricultural areas on all continents except Antarctica, the locust bean moth is a major pest of dates, pomegranates, and many other commercially grown fruits and nuts.
Photographed and identified by: Eric Blehaut. Well done on the ID, Eric! Location: Bang Krang, Thailand. Date: 6 October, 2023.

Yellow-fringed dolichomia, Hypsopygia olinalis, subfamily Pyralinae, family Pyralidae.
□ The photographer described this yellow-fringed dolichomia as resembling “an Egyptian mummy...and the wings look like fine leather.” The two yellow triangles on each forewing are a good identifying characteristic.
Photographed by: Chrystal Duncan. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Cumming, Georgia, USA. Date: 5 September, 2021.
Chrystal says, “My cat Hazey spotted this, growled, then ran and hid. That was a first.... I relocated him/her outside to a fern plant to continue on. My cat feels better now.”

Meal moth, Pyralis farinalis, subfamily Pyralinae, family Pyralidae.
□ The meal moth has thin white lines neatly separating different-colored sections of its wings. Its abdomen mimics that patterning with its own thin white bands separating sections of dark brown and reddish-brown.
Photographed by: Eric Eddles. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Portsmouth, England, UK. Date: 29 June, 2022.
Eric says this moth made an appearance in his living room.

Female meal worms lay their eggs in grain, which their caterpillars then feed on. People often find the caterpillars in open bags of dog food, which are typically loaded with grain.

Thyrididae, the window-winged moths
Choreutidae, the metalmark moths

Spotted thyris moth, Thyris maculata, subfamily Thyridinae, family Thyrididae.
□ The spotted thyris moth is active during the daytime. It has two large, white spots on each of its hindwings (on display in this photo), and a smaller white spot on each forewing. At only about a half-inch long (1.2 cm), it is a tiny moth that often goes unrecognized.
Photographed and identified to family by: Victor Leverenz. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org Location: Dryden, Michigan, USA. Date: 4 July, 2019.
Victor says, “Saw some pictures online suggesting this might be in the Thyridid group.” KnowYourInsects.org says, “Great job on the ID, Victor!”

Choreutis euclista (no specific common name), subfamily Choreutinae, family Choreutidae.
□ Choreutis euclista has an intricate design reminiscent of a finely made tapestry rug. It is a small moth that measures about 7 mm (0.25 inches) across with wings spread as seen in the above photo.
Photographed and identified by: Eric Blehaut. Well done, Eric! Location: Bang Krang, Nonthaburi, Thailand. Date: 25 June, 2024.

Common nettle-tap, Anthophila fabriciana, subfamily Choreutinae, family Choreutidae.
□ The common nettle-tap moth occurs in Europe and Asia, and was recently (2013) reported in Canada. It is a small moth with a wingspan of 10–15 mm (about 0.4–0.6 inches). The fringed hind edge of each forewing typically has a very noticeable checkered pattern, as seen here.
□ Its name of common nettle-tap comes from its caterpillar’s penchant for eating the leaves of stinging nettle (Urtica dioica).
Photographed by: Bryan Wenham-Baker. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Ivybridge, South Hams, South Devon, England, UK. Date: 3 June, 2018.
KnowYourInsects.org says, “Thanks to Bryan for sending in this photo, which represents the first member we have posted from this family!”

Schreckensteiniidae, the bristle-legged moths

Blackberry skeletonizer, Schreckensteinia festaliella, subfamily Schreckensteiniinae, family Schreckensteiniidae.
□ This tiny blackberry skeletonizer (see size below) is one of the so-called bristle-legged moths, and these photos show the long, spiny bristles all along the legs. The common name comes from its caterpillars, which eat the tissue of blackberry leaves, but not the leaf veins. The result of their feeding is a “skeleton” comprising the leaf veins with no green plant tissue between them.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. See his full-size images here, here, and here. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 1 August, 2023.
Thomas estimates its body length at just 5 mm (0.2 inches).

Pterophoridae, the plume moths

Morning glory plume moth, Emmelina monodactyla, subfamily Pterophorinae, family Pterophoridae.
□ The morning glory plume moth is found across the globe: from Europe, where this one was seen, to Japan and other spots in central Asia, as well as North America and northern Africa.
Photographed by: Eugenia Raciov. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Sankt Pantaleon-Erla, Austria. Date: 31 October, 2019.
Eugenia says, “I can release it now that I know what it is.... Funny, I lived most of my life caring for fruit trees, including plums ... never noticed it. I guess we learn everyday something new.”

Morning glory plume moth, Emmelina monodactyla, subfamily Pterophorinae, family Pterophoridae.
□ See the photographer’s description of this morning glory plume moth below.
Photographed and identified as a moth by: Diana. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Riva, Latvia. Date: 8 August, 2021.
Diana says, “I initially thought it had died, but it turns out, it’s completely alive and able to fly (it flew around like most moths I see here — quickly and in a very chaotic manner). But I’ve never seen anything like it before; the T-shaped features are what made me notice it in the first place, since the color didn’t stand out much on the window frame. Nature is amazing.”

A plume moth, possibly a morning glory plume moth, Emmelina monodactyla, subfamily Pterophorinae, family Pterophoridae.
□ The long and thin wings, which it holds out at a 90-degree angle from the body are characteristic of the plume moths. This may be a morning glory plume moth (Emmelina monodactyla).
Photographed by: Graeme Bennet. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Date: 20 September, 2016.
Graeme says, “This interesting character was on a window we installed this week. (It is) about 1 inch (2.5 cm) across and long”.

Morning glory plume moth, Emmelina monodactyla, subfamily Pterophorinae, family Pterophoridae.
□ The side view of this morning glory plume moth shows that it is standing on just four of its legs, with its hind legs extending to the rear and with an upward tilt.
□ The photographer spotted this moth in an area that has quite a bit of morning glory growing. See her comment below. Note: Morning glory is the common name for many species in the family Convolvulaceae, and that includes the invasive field morning glory, also known as field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis).
Photographed by: Hilary Barton. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Eastern Tennessee, USA. Date: 16 September, 2022.
Hilary says, “Morning glory is an invasive plant here in eastern Tennessee. While I keep it under control on my property, there is plenty of it nearby. What amazes me is for all of the morning glory I have planted in my lifetime, I’ve never seen this moth!”

Morning glory plume moth, Emmelina monodactyla, subfamily Pterophorinae, family Pterophoridae.
□ Like other plume moths, the morning glory plume moth has hindwings that look like a collection of feathers. To see the hindwings, click here (Wikipedia).
Photographed by: Brianna Knight. Identified to tentative species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Mount Pleasant, Michigan, USA. Date: 24 June, 2024.
Upon seeing the spread hindwings, Brianna said, “Reminds me of a Jim Henson or Brian Froud creature!”

A plume moth, quite possibly a geranium plume moth, Amblyptilia pica, subfamily Pterophorinae, family Pterophoridae.
□ Geranium plume moth caterpillars feed on geraniums, as well as other plants, and the adults will often take a sip of willow nectar.
Photographed and identified by: Thomas Langhans. See his full-size image here. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 28 September, 2016.
Thomas says, “It does not appear to be a very strong flyer as it never moved very far.”

Geranium plume moth, Amblyptilia pica, subfamily Pterophorinae, family Pterophoridae.
□ Geranium plume moths may be mainly brown, black, gray or white. Brown is the most typical coloration, as seen here. Note the spiny legs, wing fringe, and details of the head in these lovely photos!
Photographed and identified as a plume moth by: Thomas Langhans. See his full-size images here, here and here. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 15 March, 2022.

Beautiful plume moth, Amblyptilia acanthadactyla, subfamily Pterophorinae, family Pterophoridae.
□ The beautiful plume moth is becoming an increasingly frequent guest in gardens of England and Ireland.
Photographed by: Peter Appleby. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: South Yorkshire, UK. Date: 4 August, 2017.
Peter says, “We have never seen one of these in our area before.”

Beautiful plume moth, Amblyptilia acanthadactyla, subfamily Pterophorinae, family Pterophoridae.
□ Features of the beautiful plume moth are the dark triangle and whitish oval toward the outside of each forewing. Notice also the fine fringe of setae/hairs. The hairs actually extend from the hindwings (not seen in this photo), and interestingly, the hindwing is separated into three lobes. To see the hindwing, click here (Museum of Natural History, or Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet, in Sweden).
Photographed and identified by: Jean-Louis Metzger. Nice ID, Jean-Louis! Location: Headington, Oxford, UK. Date: 12 August, 2014.

Beautiful plume moth, Amblyptlia acanthadactyla, subfamily Pterophorinae, family Pterophoridae.
□ The photographer spotted this beautiful plume moth in his house in 2024, almost 10 years after he found the same species also in his house (see previous entry). He surmises the species may be surviving through the generations by living stealthily in his indoor greenhouse. Read more about the 2024 encounter below.
Photographed and identified by: Jean-Louis Metzger. Nicely done on the ID, Jean-Louis! Location: Oxford, England, UK. Date: 26 January, 2024.
Jean-Louis says he saw this moth for “about 12 hours on a staircase wall inside our house, with windows closed” and then it vanished.

White plume moth, Pterophorus pentadactyla, subfamily Pterophorinae, family Pterophoridae.
□ The white plume moth’s scientific name of pentadactyla literally means five fingers, referring to the noticeable, finger-like veins in its wings. An all-white species, it also has thin but quite long spines on its legs.
Photographed by: Arbud Lala. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: India. Date: 11 August, 2019.

Plume moths are sometimes called T-moths or Y-moths, depending on how they hold their wings when they are at rest.

Western plume moth, Oidaematophorus occidentalis, subfamily Pterophorinae, family Pterophoridae.
□ The dorsal view of this western plume moth shows a narrow, dark streak extending from the center of each forewing outward, and a bit of white lining on the outside edges of the thorax. The ventral view is quite different in gray with black markings.
□ The photographer estimates the wingspan at about an inch (2.5 cm) and the body length at about a half inch (1.1 cm).
Photographed and identified to family by: Thomas Langhans. Nicely done, Thomas! Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. See Thomas’s full-size images here and here. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 15 August, 2023.
Thomas tried shooting this moth using different lighting, which caused it to appear reddish brown instead. He notes, “The lighting sure makes a difference in the color!”

Himmelman’s plume moth, Geina tenuidactylus, subfamily Pterophorinae, family Pterophoridae.
□ The plume moths look little like typical moths, so it is easy to see why people think they are a different insect altogether (see the comment below). Himmelman’s plume moth is especially strange with its spiny legs.
Submitted by: Sam George. Photographed by: Linda Guenard Lyell. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Arkansas, USA. Date: 29 May, 2019.
Sam says, “We thought it might be a crane fly, but cannot find one that looks like this.” KnowYourInsects.org says, “Crane fly was a great guess, particularly with its narrow wings that it holds straight out to the sides, but it is indeed a moth!”

Himmelman’s plume moth, Geina tenuidactylus, subfamily Pterophorinae, family Pterophoridae.
□ The fringe on the wings really shows up nicely in this photo of Himmelman’s plume moth (see comment below). This moth has a couple of other common names, including slender-lobed plume and berry plume moth. The latter name comes from its caterpillars’ fondness for the leaves of blackberry bushes.
Photographed by: Joey Williams (@adventuring_dad). Submitted by: Maria Williams. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Quantico, Virginia, USA. Date: 8 June, 2020.
Joey says, “Never would have guessed that to be a moth! Took me probably 30 shots to get this one.”

A plume moth in the tribe Platyptiliini, quite possibly a grape plume moth, Geina periscelidactylus, subfamily Pterophorinae, family Pterophoridae.
□ Several species of plume moths look similar, and this one may well be the species a grape plume moth (Geina periscelidactylus), which is also known as a grapevine plume moth or gartered plume moth. Its caterpillars eat the leaves of grapevines and Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia, which is a vine in the grape family). For more information on this moth, click here (BugGuide).
Photographed by: Justin Magoon. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Romeo, Michigan, USA. Date: 2 July, 2022.
Justin spotted it on the side of a sliding glass door on his house, and added, “It stayed in that spot, motionless, for much of the day.”

A plume moth in the tribe Platyptiliini, subfamily Pterophorinae, family Pterophoridae.
□ Many plume moth species in the tribe Platyptiliini are seen on wild grape vines. The moths roll up the leaves using their silk to hold the leaves in the tube shape. Moths in this tribe are very difficult to tell apart. These two were photographed a few inches apart, so are likely the same species, perhaps female (left) and male.
Photographed by: Sue Isaac. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Mishawaka, Indiana, USA. Date: 29 June, 2018.

Among many species of moths, the female has a wider/plumper abdomen than the male. It is particularly noticeable in mating pairs where the two sexes can be compared.

Geranium plume moth, Sphenarches anisodactylus, subfamily Pterophorinae, family Pterophoridae.
□ This geranium plume moth has a very wide distribution: It is found in Australia (where this photo was taken), but also in parts of Africa, Asia, South America and North America. See the size in the photographer’s comments below.
□ Another species goes by the common name of geranium plume moth (this is why biologists use unique-to-species scientific names instead). This one is the species Sphenarches anisodactylus, while the other is Amblyptilia pica, so the latter is even in a different genus. Photographed by: John Lindsay. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Emu Heights, New South Wales, Australia. Date: 6 January, 2021.
John says it is “about 15 mm long and 20 mm across the wings.” That’s 0.6 inches long with a 0.8-inch wingspan.

Sage plume moth, Anstenoptilia marmarodactyla, subfamily Pterophorinae, family Pterophoridae.
□ The sage plume moth has a dark triangle at the edge of each wing with a thin white line down the outside of the triangle. One of its favorite plants is coyote mint (Monardella villosa).
Photographed anbd identified to family by: Thomas Langhans. ee Thomas’s full-size images here. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 27 April, 2022.

Dwarf plume moth, Exelastis pumilio, subfamily Pterophorinae, family Pterophoridae.
□ As its name suggests, the dwarf plume moth is a small moth — its wingspan is only about 1.5 cm (0.6 inches). It has a dark border around its forewings and dark stripes along each side of its body, giving it somewhat of an outlined look when viewed from the top.
Photographed and identified by: Eric Blehaut. Excellent identification, Eric! Location: Bang Krang, Nonthaburi, Thailand. Date: December 2023.

A plume moth, possibly in the genus Hellinsia, subfamily Pterophorinae, family Pterophoridae.
□ To provide some idea of the diversity of the plume moths, the genus Hellinsia contains more than 300 species! On top of that, new species are still being discovered. Two new species within this genus, for instance, were found in the Bahamas: Hellinsia bahamensis named for their location, and Hellinsia lucayana to recognize the indigenous Lucayan people who once lived there.
Photographed by: Claudia Rhymes. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Santa Rosa, California, USA. Date: 18 February, 2021.

Tamarisk plume moth, Agdistis tamaricis, subfamily Agdistinae, family Pterophoridae.
□ The photographer took this shot of a tamarisk plume moth in the heat of the desert — find out more in the comment below.
Photographed by: Elettra Caudullo. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: La Gomera, Canary Islands (a group of Spanish islands off the northwest coast of Africa). Date: 7 September, 2017.
Elettra says the 2017 summer was very hot and that nearly everyday, they experienced kalima, which she described as dusty hot air (also known as desert wind). This air is full of sand, and blows from the Sahara Desert on mainland Africa over to the Canary Island archipeligo.

□ The tamarisk plume moth and other species in the genus Agdistis hold their wings out to the front when they are at rest, giving the moth a “Y” silhouette rather than the “T” silhouette that is common to other plume moths

A plume moth in the genus Deuterocopus, quite possibly Deuterocopus albipunctatus (no specific common name), subfamily Deuterocopinae, family Pterophoridae.
□ The species name of Deuterocopus albipunctatus is a Latin term for white-spotted, and refers to the copious white markings on this moth’s otherwise brown body and wings. Notice also the alternating pattern of black and white on its legs and their spines, as well as the antennae.
Photographed and identified to genus by: Eric Blehaut. Well done, Eric! Identified to tentative species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Bang Krang, Nonthaburi, Thailand. Date: 20 June, 2024.

Unidentified plume moth, family Pterophoridae.
Photographed by: Susan Catallo. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Mercer Island, Washington, USA. Date: 19 April, 2017.
Susan says its body length was approximately 1-1/8 inches (2.8 cm) &ldquo with the slightly frilly-ended wings a bit longer.” On the identification, she adds, “My bro will be interested too — we’re both bug geeks (among other sciences).”

Unidentified plume moth, family Pterophoridae.
□ Click on this photo of a plume moth to see a nice view of the fringed wings.
Photographed and identified by: Thomas Langhans. See Thomas’s full-size image here. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 25 April, 2023.

Unidentified plume moth, subfamily Pterophorinae, family Pterophoridae.
□ From left to right, these three images of this plume moth show a top view, bottom view, and side view.
Photographed and identified by: Thomas Langhans. See Thomas’s full-size images here, here and here. Location: city of San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 9 December, 2019.

Unidentified plume moth, family Pterophoridae.
Photographed and identified by: Bill Flor. Location: Los Alamos County, New Mexico, USA. Date: 12 September, 2015.
Bill says he took this photo at about 6 p.m. on an outdoor potted plant in protected north-side shade ... at 7,500 ft.

Unidentified plume moth, family Pterophoridae.
Photographed and identified by: Bill Flor. Location: Los Alamos County, New Mexico, USA. Date: 4 August, 2017.
Bill says, “This one looks much more ‘stick-like’ in design/pattern.” Bill took this photo under one of his porch lights (north side shade at 7,500 ft and mid-70s temperature) at 7:30 p.m.

Unidentified plume moth, family Pterophoridae.
Plume Moth, family Pterophoridae.
Photographed by: Marv Goldberg. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: near Tamarac, Florida, USA. Date: Unknown.

Gelechiidae, the twirler moths

A twirler moth in the genus Chionodes, subfamily Gelechiinae, family Gelechiidae.
□ Like other members of the very large genus of Chionodes, this species of twirler moth has narrow wings edged in long fringe (closeup of the fringe at right). It also has considerable setae/hairs at the front of its head, rather like a mohawk hairstyle.
□ This species is a member of the family Gelechiidae, which is part of a larger superfamily Gelechioidea. A characteristic of specis in this superfamily is the pair of horns, which are long, curved extensions of the insect’s labium (analogous to a lower lip). The extensions are called labial palps.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. See Thomas’s full-size photos here and here. Identified to genus by: entomologists of the Bohart Museum of Entomology. Thank you, Bohart team! Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 1 November, 2020.

Curved-Horn Moth (possibly Platyedra subcinerea)

Cotton stem moth (tentative), Platyedra subcinerea, subfamily Apatetrinae, family Gelechiidae.
□ The cotton stem moth is only 6 mm (1/4 inch) long. Besides feeding on cotton, the larvae of this moth also eat various types of mallow plants (in the genus Malva), so it is sometimes called a mallow groundling.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. See his full-size photos here and here. Identified by: moth specialist Dave Wikle. Thank you, Dave! Location: City of San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 20 March, 2018.

Depressariidae, the depressarid moths
Batrachedridae, the batrachedrid moths

Semul shoot borer, Tonica niviferana, family Depressariidae.
□ The unusual-looking semul shoot borer has little setae/hair tufts that stand up on its wings. Its antennae are hair-like and extend back, laying on the wings in this photo, so they are almost impossible to see.
Photographed and identified to order by: Shefali Chaudhari. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Thank you to Dr. Richard Brown of the Mississippi Entomological Museum for clarifying the Depressariidae classification. Location: Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari, Gujarat, India. Date: 10 December, 2018.

A batrachedrid moth, likely in the genus Batrachedra, subfamily Batrachedrinae, family Batrachedridae.
□ When at rest, as shown in this batrachedrid moth, moths in this family hold their wings rolled over their backs and their antennae laid along the body. They also have fringe on the edges of their forewings and hindwings.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. Identified to genus by: KnowYourInsects.org. See Thomas’s full-size image here. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 27 September, 2016.

Oecophoridae, the concealer moths

White-shouldered house moth Endrosis sarcitrella, subfamily Oecophorinae, family Oecophoridae.
□ The white-shouldered house moth is fairly common around the United States and the world, according to Jeff Smith of the Bohart Museum of Entomology. He adds, “Larvae feed on dry plant materials and are a very minor pest in homes where they may infest dry food products. It also comes to lights, so its presence in a home most often is merely coincidental and it poses no threat.” This moth has long fringes along the trailing edges of the hindwings, and curved labial palps that look rather like a severe underbite.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. See Thomas’s full-size photos here, here and here. Identified by: moth specialist Jeff Smith of the Bohart Museum of Entomology. Thank you, Jeff! Location: City of San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 16 April, 2019.
Thomas notes that this moth was about 7 mm (about a quarter inch) long.

Golden-brown tubic, Crassa unitella, subfamily Tortricinae, family Tortricidae.
□ The golden-brown tubic is a small moth with a wingspan of less than an inch (about 2 cm). It has soft brown wings and an orange head.
Photographed and identified by: Eric Blehaut. Nice ID, Eric! Location: Lille, France. Date: 10 June, 2023.

□ Would you like a list of all the butterfly/moth families in one handy place? We made one for you! To see it, click here.

Blastobasidae, the scavenger moths

A scavenger moth, family Blastobasidae.
□ Two characteristics of the scavenger moth and other membrrs of the family Blastobasidae is curved labial palps (see the Gelechiidae entry for description) and a wing shape that narrows apically (toward the wingtips), according to moth expert Richard L. Brown, who identified this specimen. He adds, “About 75 percent of the North American species of this family are undescribed and have no name.”
□ To see the variation in this family, click here and look about two-thirds of the way down the page (North American Moth Photographers Group, Mississippi Entomological Museum). The moth shown above is about 7 mm (0.28 inches) long. Note: This family was once considered a subfamily of the family Coleophoridae.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. See his full-size photos here, here and here. Identified by: Richard L. Brown, Ph.D., director of the Mississippi Entomological Museum and W.L. Giles Distinguished Professor at Mississippi State University. Thank you, Dr. Brown! Location: city of San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 30 October, 2018.

Scythrididae, the flower moths

A scythris moth in the genus Scythris, possibly the banded scythris moth Scythris trivinctella, no subfamily assignment, family Scythrididae.
□ Entomologists are still trying to sort out the many species of scythris moths. This is likely a banded scythris moth, which is found in Texas, where this photo was taken. Not all individuals have such an evident white circle on their backs as this one.
□ Note: This family is sometimes listed as a subfamily of Xyloryctidae or Oecophoridae.
Photographed by: Manzeal Khanal. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Uvalde, Texas, USA. Date: 3 May, 2022.
Manzeal spotted this tiny moth, which he estimated at about 10 mm long (0.4 inches) on a small native flower.

Eretmocera impactella (no specific common name), subfamily Scythridinae, family Scythrididae.
□ Eretmocera impactella has brown wings with cream-colored spots and antennae that look like a thin ribbon. When at rest, it typically sits with its spiny hind legs held up and curled forward, as shown in the left photo above.
Photographed and identified by: Eric Blehaut. Well done, Eric! Location: Bang Krang, Nonthaburi, Thailand. Date: 4 November, 2024.

Sesiidae, the clearwing moths

Squash Vine Borer or Swamp Milkweed Sphinx (Melittia cucurbitae)

Squash vine borer, also known as a swamp milkweed sphinx, Melittia cucurbitae, subfamily Sesiinae, family Sesiidae.
□ The squash vine borer is a diurnal moth, which means it is active during the day. Here, the moth is feeding on a milkweed plant (in the genus Asclepias).
Photographed by: Annette Raper. Identified to family by: KnowYourInsects.org and Dr. Pedro Pereyra Becker. Location: southern Ontario. Date: 13 July, 2018.
Annette says, “I have never seen this insect before in my area.”

Squash vine borer, also known as a swamp milkweed sphinx, Melittia cucurbitae, subfamily Sesiinae, family Sesiidae.
□ This view of the squash vine borer shows the series of black dots down the middle of the abdomen; and thick, orange setae/hairs on its hind legs.
Photographed and identified by: Ross Sandelius. Location: Ferndale, Michigan, USA. Date: 12 July, 2019.

Squash bine borer, also known as a swamp milkweed sphinx, Melittia cucurbitae, subfamily Sesiinae, family Sesiidae.
□ The squash vine borer gets its name from its caterpillar, which bores into the stem of curcubit plants, including melons, cucumbers and squash (see the photographer’s comment below).
Photographed and identified by: David Jacob. Location: North Dakota, USA. Date: 11 July, 2020.
David says, “A beautiful insect, but is destroying my zucchini!”

The squash vine borer moth exhibits what is called Batesian mimicry, which means that it looks like another species that has some predator-defending capacity. In this case, the harmless moth resembles a stinging wasp, which may help keep potential predators away.

Squash vine borer, also known as a swamp milkweed sphinx, Melittia cucurbitae, subfamily Sesiinae, family Sesiidae.
□ The identify of squash vine borers as moths often surprises people. See the comment below.
Photographed by: Teresa Koth. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Michigan, USA. Date: 28 June, 2020.
Teresa says, “I would’ve never guessed a moth!!” KnowYourInsects.org says, “Nature is so full of wonderful surprises!”

Squash vine borer, also known as a swamp milkweed sphinx, Melittia cucurbitae, subfamily Sesiinae, family Sesiidae.
□ Gardeners sometimes notice the squash vine borer from the frass (the word for insect feces) of its caterpillars. The frass is evident after the caterpillars have eaten the inner part of plant stems: the frass appears on the outside of the stem and looks rather like wet sawdust. A favorite food is zucchini stems (see comment below). For more information, click here (University of Minnesota Extension).
Photographed by: Dave Hare. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Haliburton, Ontario, Canada. Date: 21 June, 2022.
Upon learning its identity, Dave said, “So, not good for my zucchini. Hmm.”

Squash vine borer, also known as a swamp milkweed sphinx, Melittia cucurbitae, subfamily Sesiinae, family Sesiidae.
□ This lovely photo gives a close-up view of the setae/hairs on the legs of this squash vine borer. Click on the photo for an even closer look.
Photographed by: David Carpenter. Submitted and identified by: David’s father Robert. Location: Kerrville, Texas. Date: 25 April, 2024.
Robert says, “This beautiful clear-winged moth is a treat for an entomologist to see, but not a happy sight for a gardener.

Western poplar clearwing, Paranthrene robiniae, subfamily Sesiinae, family Sesiidae.
□ Few people would guess that this western poplar clearwing is a moth, because it is doing a great job of mimicking a wasp, but 6-year-old photographer Ivy did! Kudos to Ivy!
□ The western poplar clearwing comes in a couple of color variations: one in black and yellow (like this one), and another that is mostly reddish-brown with thin black and yellow striping on its abdomen. Both varieties have the yellow “U” on the thorax.
Photographed and identified as a moth by: Ivy Martin. Submitted by: Andrea Martin. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Riverside, Washington, USA. Date: 8 July, 2020.
Ivy’s mom Andrea says, “She was so happy to have found this, as this was one insect that was on her ‘list.’”

A clearwing borer moth, possibly a eupatorium borer moth, Carmenta bassiformis, subfamily Sesiinae, family Sesiidae.
□ The clearwing borer moth appears to be in the genus Carmenta or Synathedon. One possibility is the eupatorium borer moth, also known as an ironweed clearwing moth, which has a large white section near the end of each antenna.
Photographed by: Anton Zanker. Tentatively identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Waterman, Illinois, USA. Date: 23 November, 2020.

Raspberry crown borer, Pennisetia marginatum, subfamily Tinthiinae, family Sesiidae.
□ With its black and yellow banding, the raspberry crown borer is an excellent wasp or bee mimic (see the photographer’s comment below). Click on the photos to zoom in and see the blue tinge to the antennae — lovely!
□ The female raspberry crown borer has thin antennae, but the male’s antennae are pectinate, which means they look like narrow feathers or combs. The wasp at the bottom may have pectinate antennae, but it is difficult to say for sure from this photo.
Photographed by: Tricia Garcia. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Renton, Washington, USA. Date: 11 February, 2011.
Its identity as a moth fooled Tricia. She says, “I thought I had discovered a new type of bee!”

Viburnum clearwing moth, Synanthedon viburni, subfamily Sesiinae, family Sesiidae.
□ True to its name, the viburnum clearwing moth’s pink caterpillars survive on viburnum, and can cause damage by boring into trunks. They are sometimes called viburnum clearwing borers for this reason.
□ Another species, called the lesser viburnum clearwing moth (Synanthedon fatifera), looks almost identical, but has a thin white stripe behind each of its compound eyes.
Photographed by: Elizabeth Oseid. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, USA. Date: 2 July, 2022.
Elizabeth says, “I enjoy looking at insects in my garden (with the exception of Japanese beetles), and saw this one sunning itself on a zucchini leaf this morning. I like the blue spot on its tail and the white on the antennae.”

Lesser peachtree borer moth, Synanthedon pictipes, subfamily Sesiinae, family Sesiidae.
□ Click on this photo to zoom in and see the clump of yellow, hair-like setae between the eyes of this lesser peachtree borer moth. A closely related and very similar-looking species called a peachtree borer (Synanthedon exitiosa) instead has a clump of yellow scales between the antennae, which are farther forward on the head. The veining on its clear wings are also visible in this shot.
Photographed by: Sue Isaac. Identified to tentative species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Mishawaka, Indiana, USA. Date: 11 July, 2011.

Lesser peachtree borer moth, Synanthedon pictipes, subfamily Sesiinae, family Sesiidae.
□ The lesser peachtree borer moth is mainly dark brown with a thin yellow stripe down each side of its thorax, and a thin yellow band on the abdomen. Depending on the lighting, the last third of the abdomen and its antennae will shine metallic blue.
Photographed by: Sue Isaac. Identified to tentative species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Mishawaka, Indiana, USA. Date: 11 July, 2011.

Red-Belted Clearwing Moth (Synanthedon myopaeformis)

Red-belted clearwing moth, female, Synanthedon myopaeformis, subfamily Sesiinae, family Sesiidae.
□ The descriptively named red-belted clearwing moth ranges from northern Africa through much of Europe and over to western Asia, but has also been introduced to North America. The caterpillars get into the trunks of fruit trees in old orchards, but generally leave younger, well-tended orchards alone.
Photographed by: Yahia Zaytoon. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Matroh, Egypt. Date: 11 November, 2022.

Unidentified clearwing moth, family Sesiidae.
□ This underside view of a clearwing moth shows not only the clear sections on its wings, but also the yellow labial palps. The labial palps extend from below the eyes and curve up toward the antennae in this species. The palps are covered with sensory scales that the moth uses to determine if something is sugary and therefore food.
Submitted by: Dirk Sundbaum. Photographed by: Dirk’s daughter. Identified to family by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Auburn, Washington, USA. Date: 10 July, 2020.

Besides their wasp- or bee-like appearance, moths in the family Sesiidae — collectively called clearwing moths — also behave as wasps and bees do: They are active during the daytime and fly in a hovering manner.

Unidentified clearwing moth, family Sesiidae.
□ This colorful wasp moth is beautiful with the bands of color on its abdomen.
Photographed by: Amitava Sil. Identified to family by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Kolkata, India. Date: 17 June, 2018.

Unidentified clearwing moth, family Sesiidae.
□ This species of clearwing moth has see-through forewings and hindwings, but some members of this family have clear hindwings with darker forewings.
Photographed by: Bhuvan Raj. Identified to family by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Bangalore, Karnataka, India. Date: 23 August, 2019.

Cossidae, the carpenter and leopard moths
Brachodidae, the little bear moths

Wood leopard moth, female, Zeuzera pyrina, subfamily Zeuzerinae, family Cossidae.
□ This speckled insect is a wood leopard moth. It had expired, so the photographer was able to get photos from both top and bottom, each of which show the very pointy rearward projection. That projection is her ovipositor, or egg-laying structure, and this female would have used it to deposit eggs into crevices in tree bark.
Photographed by: Kathie MacLaughlan. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Unknown. Date: 25 July, 2022.

Moths in two families go by the common name of leopard moth. Some are in the family Cossidae, which is pictured here. The others are part of the family Erebidae. To go to the Erebidae section of this website, click here.

Phykodes minor (no specific common name), subfamily Phycodinae, family Brachodidae.
□ Phykodes minor is one of the species in the small and little-studied Brachodidae family, commonly called little bear moths. The family has about 140 species in it.
□ The photographer captured these photos on consecutive days. Note: Species in this genus (Phykodes) are sometimes collectively called fig leaf-roller moths.
Photographed and identified by: Eric Blehaut. Well done, Eric! Location: Bang Krang, Nonthaburi, Thailand. Date: 14-15 April, 2024.

Tortricidae, the tortricid moths

Rose garden tortrix moth, Acleris variegana, subfamily Tortricinae, family Tortricidae.
□ With a name like rose garden tortrix, it is no surprise that the caterpillars, in particular, feed on rose plants. They also munch on apple trees. The photos show the top, side and bottom views, courtesy of the photographer — thank you, Thomas!
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. See his full-size photos here, here, and here. Identified by: moth specialist Dr. Nick Mills, professor of insect population ecology and curator of the Essig Museum of Entomology, California Academy of Sciences, at Berkeley. Location: city of San Bruno, San Mateo County, California, USA. Date: 22 September, 2018.
Thomas says, “We don’t have any roses or apples in our yard but a neighbor does have a small rose bush. I found this one inside the house, parked on a wall near the ceiling.”

Rose garden tortrix moth, Acleris variegana, subfamily Tortricinae, family Tortricidae.
□ The rose garden tortrix moth may have a nearly entirely cream-colored front half, or the front half may have a dark center as seen here. The side view handily shows the tufts, including the largest one right behind the head.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. See his full-size photos here, here, and here. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: city of San Bruno, San Mateo County, California, USA. Date: 4 October, 2019.
Thomas says it was about 7 mm (a quarter inch) long.

Oak Leafroller (Argyrotaenia quercifoliana)

Oak leafroller, also known as a yellow-winged oak leafroller or oakleaf tortrix, Argyrotaenia quercifoliana, subfamily Tortricinae, family Tortricidae.
□ The oak leafroller is a small moth — less than half an inch (about 10 mm) long — with a pattern of thin, brown, often broken lines on its otherwise cream-colored forewings. When at rest, it has the silhouette seen here.
Photographed and identified by: Leslie Mertz. Location: Markey Township, Roscommon County, Michigan, USA. Date: 4 July, 2019.
Leslie says, “This little moth was perched on a leaf in a flower bed under some oak trees about 150 feet (50 meters or so) from a lake shoreline.”

Orange tortrix, Argyrotaenia franciscana, subfamily Tortricinae, family Tortricidae.
□ One of the characteristic features of the orange tortrix is the half bullseye marking on each forewing. Its caterpillars are considered pests of citrus trees, but they can also be found dining on the leaves of many other trees.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. See his full-size photo here. Identified by: Chelsea Whitehead. Thank you, Chelsea! Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 14 April, 2020.

Juniper Budworm Moth (Choristoneura houstonana)

Juniper budworm, Choristoneura houstonana, subfamily Tortricinae, family Tortricidae.
□ The juniper budworm has an intricate design of brown markings on a shimmering silver to gold background, sometimes with some reddish color added in. Its caterpillars are considered pests of eastern red cedar trees(Juniperus virginiana).
Photographed by: Robert E. Carpenter. See Robert’s cool slow-motion nature video here. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Kerrville, Texas, USA. Date: Unknown.

A tortricid moth, possibly a light brown apple moth, Epiphyas postvittana, subfamily Tortricinae, family Tortricidae.
□ Native to Australia, the light brown apple moth appeared in the continental United States in 2006, when it was identified in Berkeley, California. The outward appearance of individuals varies widely: to see some of that variety, click here (BugGuide).
□ A close-up of the antennae is shown in the photo at right. The photographer estimated the moth’s total length at 11 mm (0.4 inches).
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. See his full-size photo here. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: city of San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 5 April, 2019.

Reticulated Fruitworm (Cenopis reticulatana)

Reticulated fruitworm moth, Cenopis reticulatana, subfamily Tortricinae, family Tortricidae.
□ The reticulated fruitworm’s name refers to the net-like (or reticulated) pattern on its forewings of the adult moth, and its caterpillars, which are often seen on apple, cherry and pear trees, although they will also visit other deciduous trees, such as birch and maple.
Photographed and identified by: Leslie Mertz. Location: Houghton Lake, Roscommon County, Michigan, USA. Date: 9 August, 2021.

Privet tortrix, Clepsis consimilana, subfamily Tortricinae, family Tortricidae.
□ The privet tortrix has beige or yellowish wings and may have noticeable brown bars, as shown. Other individuals may have only faint bars, or none at all. Its hindwings, which are hidden in this photo, are white. To see some of the variety in the forewings, click here (Naturespot.org).
Photographed and identified by: Eric Blehaut. Nice ID, Eric! Location: Lille, France. Date: 9 June, 2023.

A tortricid moth in the genus Eucosma, subfamily Olethreutinae, family Tortricidae.
□ This tortricid moth is very small, only about 1/3 inch long (about 8mm) from the tip of its head to the back of its folded wings. Such tiny moths are called microlepidoptera: “micro” referring to their small size and “Lepidoptera” referring to the moths and butterflies (Lepidoptera is the name of this insect order).
□ Moth specialist Dave Wikle notes that species-level identification of this tortricid moth is not possible from the photo because not all markings are visible, but even if they were, “dissection might be necessary to come to a determination. Such is the way of microlepidoptera!”
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. See his full-size photos here and here. Identified to genus by: moth specialist Dr. Christopher Grinter, collections manager of entomology, California Academy of Sciences, via moth specialist Dave Wikle. Location: city of South San Francisco, California, USA. Date: 6 March, 2018.

A tortricid moth in the tribe Eucosmini, subfamily Olethreutinae, family Tortricidae.
□ These photos show top, bottom and side views of this tortricid moth.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. See his full-size photos here, here, and here. Identified by: Richard L. Brown, Ph.D., director of the Mississippi Entomological Museum and W.L. Giles Distinguished Professor at Mississippi State University. Thank you, Dr. Brown! Location: city of San Bruno, San Mateo County, California, USA. Date: 2 April, 2019.

Many of the moths in the Tortricidae family have a broad, rather bell-shaped silhouette, as seen in some of the examples on this page.

A tortricid moth in the genus Loboschiza, quite possibly an orange tortricid, also known as a leaf webber, Loboschiza koenigiana, subfamily Olethreutinae, family Tortricidae.
□ The orange tortricid is covered with irregular, orange lines and spots that decorate both its large yellow section and its wide, dark-brown section. It occurs in Southeast Asia and parts of Australia and Africa. Its caterpillar eats hibiscus, jasmine, and other shrubs.
Photographed by: Kannu Priya. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: India. Date: 31 October, 2020.
Kannu found this moth while she was traveling by train.

Limacodidae, the slug moths or cup moths

Blue-Striped Nettle Grub Moth, Parasa lepida

Blue-striped nettle grub moth (or nettle caterpillar moth), Parasa lepida, subfamily Limacodinae, family Limacodidae.
□ With its vivid green color, the blue-striped nettle grub moth is beautiful as an adult moth.
Photographed by: Surani Pratik. Thank you for the identification, Sanjay Sondhi! Identified by: Sanjay Sondhi, Titli Trust. Location: Navsari, Gujarat, India. Date: 27 October, 2017.

Blue-striped nettle grub moth (or nettle caterpillar moth), Parasa lepida, subfamily Limacodinae, family Limacodidae.
□ The blue-striped nettle grub moth is named for the caterpillar, which in some stages has a blue stripe running down its otherwise-neon-green back. This caterpillar is also sometimes called a stinging nettle caterpillar, because it has spines that can cause a reaction similar to that caused by a nettle plant. To see the caterpillar, click here (research article in the journal Insects).
Photographed by: Boo See Yang. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Singapore. Date: 18 March, 2021.
The photographer says, “It was sticking onto my car.”

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